The Ouachita telegraph. [volume] (Monroe, La.) 1865-1889, 1887-09-03
GAN OLD QUESTION"

OuueI luc CaptlOA vi ~ N CIV (SUeS-
ton" All outside editor of the Bulletin
discussed last week very old qucs-
ton to the people of Louisiana to~wit,
white supremacy, and to the bitter
disappointment of a large majority of
the white people Of Ouachita parish the
Bulletin was made to espouse the
cause OF the Brother in Black.
In this discussion tho Bailetiu has
attempted, for the purpose Of making
political capital and catching the negro
vote, to make it appear that the Telc-
graph and those who concur it, its
views, would disfranchise the negro.
Only a change In tho fundamental
law of the land can disfrauchise the
negro.
But every assembly, of whatever
nature, in this country, is the judge OF
its own members, and the Democratic
party, in this parish, through its regu-
'arly constituted agency, can prescribe
who should participate in Democratic
VI SouSchllcuS. nG TEST
| should be Democracy and AZ it is well
known that the white people constitute
tho Democratic party, only white ,nen
should participate in it's nominating
conventions.
The history of political affairs in this
parish for tho past few years is too we'll
ram vR~
the necessity of this demand necessary.
1t, AS the Bulletin argues, the negroes
were permitted tn go into primaries of
their own free will and vote for men
of their choice, that solution of our
political troubles might be tried on
further, but il is notorious that the
| negro has no such right. He is massed
In solid phalanx by few men in
Democratic meetings to the complete
il you will, of the
majority of the white peopie-Demo-
crats-of the parisl.
The Bulletin raises u terrible howl
about DISTINGUISHING the negro but it
serenely contemplates the disfranchise-
| ment of white Democrats
The white Democrats Of Ouachita
have stood it long enough They are
not going to stand it any longer.
But, argues the Bulletin, there is a
feature Of this question Of far more inns
portance than the continued subjuga-
ton of the while people of Oaachita
parish under negro doinination.
TO agitate it to free tho white peopls
twill bring discord into our ranks
in this parish" And then again we are
election. We infer from this last stat e.
ment that the editor Of the Bulletin
means 10 tell the white Democrats of
| Ouachita that if they assert their right
to be heard in the councils of the
Democratic party to the exclusion of
Republicans-a horde of black ignor.
ance-that they will jeopordizs the
success Of the State ami National
Democratic tickets.
No such bug-bear will deter them.
1t is all the veriest moonshine.
The chairman Of the State Democratic
Central Committee occupies the iuenti.
cal position taken by the Telegraph on
this question, and it is fair to presume
that he is as well, if not better vcrscd
in state-craft than the editor of the
Bulletin, vet he does not SEQ that the
exclusion OF negroes from Democratic
primaries in East Baton Rouge parish
| will defeat the State or National tick cts
at tho coming election or stulliiy the
record of tho Democratic party on this
question. Ia Tact it will not do so.
The Democratic party has simply
pledged to the negro all his rights rs
guaranteed to him under the constitu {,
ton. Ono of these rights is that OF
suffrage and the Democratic rurty can
not take it away from him nor does it
propose to do so.
We.will say to the Bnllctin, however,
that we know and knew all along that
the gun we are "monkeying" with is
loaded and that it is bound to go off
and TINT when ii does tho upheaval
will come aud The report will sound
the death-kneii of ringis,n and bossism
| in Ouactita parish. When the up
hcaval comes down we very much fear
poor old gray beard (and we NEAR,